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What a week! The printer died, the new one wouldn’t load and my email went down…right before I left to teach a workshop for The Pointless Sisters. As a teacher, I have to be highly organized. I don’t procrastinate. I create lists, summaries and reminders for each gig and I print them out shortly before I leave. I wait to do that because things are constantly in flux. So wouldn’t you know, the printer died without warning right before I printed it all up. Keep reading, there are more photos below… There is an even greater amount of prep when…
I am having so much fun working on my black whole cloth quilt top. It has become a lot more involved than I thought it would be which seems to be par for the course. I do. not. know. how to keep it simple! Right now I’m auditioning background fills. I’ve mocked up a few pieces and I’m stitching using the same threads, fabric and batting as I propose for my quilt. I love that fill on the left as it creates a visual nap which looks different as you move around the quilt. But it competes too much so…
How do I describe Craft Napa? It’s fun, exhiliarating, encouraging, inspiring and maybe a wee bit fattening! You meet new friends, see friends from previous years, enjoy spontaneous lunches with people you didn’t know before, peek into other classrooms and immerse yourself in creativity. I was struck by the vibe I got from walking around Craft Napa, there is this sense that everyone is very happily working hard. Pokey Bolton, creator of Craft Napa, has created a fabulous new way to jump start your creative New Year. Everyone was generous, from Pokey to fellow students to the instructors. I hope…
Well this is it-I’m on my way to Craft Napa and I can’t wait! I’ll post about my experience next week. Onward!
This is somewhat of a soliloquy in response to the beginning of a new year. I know many artists make resolutions, set goals or choose a word to guide them in the coming year. I do none of those things. I’m not opposed to them, I have just not found them useful to me. This is not meant to be prescriptive for others, but merely my description of my life’s journey. Let’s go back a bit. I graduated high school and attended college for 3 semesters before I ran out of money (my college years were self-funded). In a move…
I’ve had a quiet, low-key and positively lovely Christmas! Youngest son is here for a nice visit and we went to Christmas Eve services together, then grabbed Hubby and drove around looking at lights. Our usual Christmas Eve dinner has been “Chicken Dot Soup” (their childhood name for chicken soup with Acini Di Pepe pasta–like little dots). We avoided dinner altogether as we headed over to an Open House and grazed our way through dinner. We don’t make a huge deal of gifts so Christmas Day we opened presents for 5 minutes, saw Darkest Hour and enjoyed pizza-on-the-grill as our Christmas…
It’s been a challenging week for Hubby and me. Zeke (the Basset) has challenged us to our limits and has became all-consuming, keeping us chained to the house. Fortunately, with the help of an excellent trainer, (Grateful K9 for you locals), we were able to understand his behaviors and cope much better. But it was a rough week! We’ve had a Basset before, but Zeke’s robust personality pushed all Basset-y behaviors to the tail-end of the scale (pun intended!). We’re on an even keel now, but for a couple of weeks there he dominated every day. I was upset and…
Computer troubles today-hope to get something by tomorrow.
I’m lucky to live in an area rich in vibrant quilt guilds. I always look forward to the Pioneer Quilt Guild show each year and this one was a treat. Zeke was in a barking stage so I blasted through the show and surely missed some prime quilts. Prismatic Star, Frances Claassens. Frances took a class with Cindy Meyers and this was her very first paper piecing project! Crashing Waves, Debra Carlisle. Debra started with a Moda kit-love the way the colors move. Along Beaver Creek, Denise Long. Denise wrote that this reminded her of Montana summers. Lots of fussy…
Good show River City! In random order: Best of Show was “My Secret Garden” by Deborah Ciarla, quilted by Nancy Calhoun. This was entirely hand pieced using the English Paper Piecing method, except the border which was foundation pieced. Wowsa! “Oasis Improv” by Marie Nelson. Using discards from a friend and some fabric from her own stash, Marie pieced this together and added some fabulous quilting. “Solid Birches” by Tracey List, based on Amanda Jean Nyberg’s pattern. Bright and colorful! “Mesa Verde” by Denise Schmidt. Improv piecing and an Anasazi figure printed on silk organza, perfectly edited and beautiful. “Traditional…